Stringed musical instrument.



I. RIGA.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED our. 1, 1909.

1,004,905 Patented 0013,1911.

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FEDERICO BIG'rA, OF NEWARK, JERSEY.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Oct. 3, 1911.

Application filed October 1, 1909. Serial No. 520,476.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FEDERICO RIGA, a sub ject of the King of Italy,residing in the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Stringed MusicalInstruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion is a stringed musical instrument, and it pertains moreparticularly to such instruments as mandolins, violins, guitars, andanalogous stringed instruments.

In the manufacture of instruments em braced in the classes just noted,it has been customary heretofore to construct the body of wood or metal,but more particularly of wooden pieces which are employed because of theresonance of the material, said wooden pieces being given the requiredshape and being united by a suitable adhesive substance, such as cementor glue.

As is well known, instruments having their bodies constructed in themanner described are subject to the serious objection of having the glueor cement soften under climatic and atmospheric influences, with theresult that the body disintegrates by the separation of the piecescomposing it, thus making the instrument worthless.

My object is to overcome the foregoing, and other, objections inherentin the built up wooden bodies of stringed musical instruments, and atthe same time to produce a body which not only secures improved tonequalities when the instrument is played, but which is very strong, lightand so durable as to be almost indestructible in the ordinary usage ofthe instrument.

To the accomplishment of these ends, I provide a composite bodycomprising a member composed of molded stiff and untanned animal skin,and a rigid reinforcing member, preferably of wood, united to said skinmember, as will be more fully herein described.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a practical embodimentof the invention, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through themandolin. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the body A of a mandolin comprises a shellmember B and a sounding board C, said shell member being composed of asingle piece of untanned stiff molded animal skin. The sounding board iscomposed, preferably, of a thin layer of wood or wood veneer, thismaterial being employed because of the well known resonant qualitiespossessed by said materials, but it is obvious that metal or othermaterial may be used in the manufacture of member, C. Member, B,constitutes the maj or part or shell of the mandolin body, and itconsists of a one piece untanned animal skin molded to the requiredshape and artificially stiffened so as to render it practically rigid.

As a material suitable for the purpose, I employ an untanned goat skinwhich 'is treated according to the usual depilating process for removingthe hair and for otherwise preparing the fleshy side of the skin so asto render it suitable for my purposes. While the skin is in a wetcondition, it is stretched tightly over a former or mold which serves toimpart the desired shape to the skin, that is, the skin has the desiredcurvature imparted thereto, both lengthwise and crosswise, and at thesame time, the flat narrow end, 6, and marginal flanges, c, are producedon the skin. After stretching the skin on the mold or former, it istrimmed, and allowed to dry. During the drying process, the skinstiifens to a certain extent so that it effectively retains its shape.

Member, C, of the mandolin constitutes the top or belly of theinstrument, and it conforms to the shape of the open side of skinmember, B. Said member, C, is provided with the usual sound openings,and to it are attached the neck, D, and tail piece, E. Said member, C,is united to the skin body by cementing or gluing it to the flanges, c,of member, B, and thereafter members, B, C, are coated with suitablecompounds, such as varnish or shellac, which serve to impart a desiredfinish to the article and tend to artificially treat the skin member soas to materially increase the stiffness or rigidity thereof.

My invention results in a stringed musical instrument, the body of whichis so durable as to be practically indestructible in ordinary usage ofthe instrument. The body is light and strong, it is economical tomanufacture, and secures improved tone qualities as compared with metalor wood. The skin is molded to the required shape, and it is stiffenedartificially by applying a desired number of coatings thereto, either ofshellac, varnish, or the like, with or without coloring pigmentsincorporated therewith, whereby the coatings are absorbed, more or lessby the porous material employed. The skin member is further stiffened byuniting it to the rigid reinforcing member, such as member, C.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A stringed musical instrument of the class described provided with ahollow body comprising an unlined shell of a single piece of moldeduntanned and artificially stifliened animal skin and a Wooden soundingboard united thereto.

2. A stringed musical instrument of the class described provided with acomposite hollow body comprising an unlined shell composed of a singlepiece of stiff molded animal skin provided at its edges with an inwardlyextending flange, and a wooden 20 FEDERIOO RIGA. Witnesses ANGELO F.Brown, JAS. H. GRIFFIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C."

